Page 135 of Love Unavoidable
“When did you become such a dreamer? There is nomore than that.” Mama’s lips flatten and her face goes red, her breath loud and noisy. “I’m not happy. Your father isn’t happy. Your brothers can’t possibly be happy. What makes you think you get to be happy?”
Tenley sounds her horn again. I can’t decide if I want to hug my mama goodbye or slap her ‘til she starts making sense. I also can’t decide if it all makes me want to cry or scream.
“I gotta go, Mama.” I grab my bag and head for the door.
“Sadie Ann, if you walk out that door, don’t you ever come back.”
“Mama . . .” I turn to her.
She glares at me, shoulders back, gaze steady, brow furrowed.
Is she serious?
The doorbell rings. I look to the door, knowing it’s Tenley wondering where I am. I look back to Mama. She averts her eyes.
I grab the doorknob, still watching my mama. She turns and leaves the room.
Not another word is said.
* * *
Thanks to the conversation with my mama, Tenley and I arrive at the airport with not a lot of time to spare. If we can make it through security in less than ten minutes, we might make it to our gate on time. I’m not hopeful once I see the line in front of us.
“I don’t think we are going to make it,” I tell Tenley.
“We’ll make it,” she says. “These lines always go faster than you think they will.”
Another minute goes by. Only one person has made it through the scanner in that time. Every single person who gets up to the conveyer belt is unprepared. Either their liquids aren’t out and in a plastic baggie, or their shoes aren’t in a bin, or they have a laptop still in a bag, or their belt on.
Don’t these people read the signs in line?
It’s standard traveling procedures, people!
I tap my foot on the linoleum, hoping the impatient sound it makes spurs these people on to move faster. Tenley yawns, then pulls out a compact and checks her make-up.
“Are you ready?” I ask.
“For?”
“To go through the line?”
“Of course.”
“Are your liquids out, what about your cell phone? You aren’t wearing a belt, are you?”
“You don’t have to put your liquids out, Sadie.”
“Yes, you do, didn’t you see the sign?”
“They stopped doing that a while ago, they just scan it in your suitcase now.”
“No, they don’t, look at all the people in line.”
She doesn’t look. “Sadie, I know that you had a bad morning with your mama. And you are nervous about seeing Ethan again, but that doesn’t mean you have to freak out about everything on our way there. Relax. It’s fine. We have plenty of time.”
I take a deep breath and try to relax.
The lady in front of us turns around. “Are you going to see your young man?” She smiles.
